Spain’s Catholic Church and the government have agreed on a new system to compensate victims of clerical sexual abuse whose cases cannot be prosecuted.

The deal, signed in Madrid, will come into force on 15th April and allow victims a one-year window to file claims.

It gives the country’s ombudsman the final say on compensation, in a rare concession by Church authorities after criticism of earlier proposals.

Archbishop Luis Argüello, head of Spain’s bishops’ conference, said the agreement would not set fixed payouts.

“We wanted to exclude references to scales and quantities; that’s not what this is about,” Archbishop Luis said. “We’ve planned for the teams to start working on how to do it, but the text doesn’t establish a range or a specific amount.”

Justice Minister Félix Bolaños said cases would be assessed individually, taking into account factors such as severity and the victim’s age.

“Criteria are set to arrive at fair compensation, which should not be determined by a single figure,” Bolaños said.

Under the scheme, victims will submit claims to the Justice Ministry, which will pass them to the ombudsman for review and a compensation proposal. If disputes arise, a joint committee will intervene, but the ombudsman’s decision will ultimately prevail.

The agreement follows growing scrutiny of abuse within Spain’s Church, including a 2023 report identifying hundreds of cases and suggesting the number of victims could be far higher.